Red earthenware covered with a white slip and with simple incised decoration painted with splashes of green and yellow-brown. Italian, perhaps Treviso or Padua, about 1500 to 1530.

Cylindrical cruet standing on four feet with a zoomorphic spout at either end.

Alfred Williams Hearn Gift

Munarini in La ceramica nel Veneto (see References) attributes this 'aquamanile' to Treviso and dates it to the end of the 15th or beginning of 16th century.
It is very similar to two others in Padua (attributed to Padua and dated late 15th to early 16thc.) that have simple incised deoration highlighted with splashed of green and yellow-brown. However, the Paduan aquamanile have only a single animal-head spout and one opening for introducing the liquid.
The British Museum (see References) has a container (marked for oil and vinegar on the underside but with white and red wine on the visible ends) with two spouts like this one, one with an animal head. The other spout is missing but in the past had been restored with an animal head. This has been removed. This container is assigned to the 'Venice 'region' and is dated (incised on the underside) 1525. The decoration on the British Museum container is very fine and would suggest a place of manufacture different to the V&A one.

Rackham states the form of this cruet is derived from medieval aquamanili.

Cruet
Made in Padua, (Venetian mainland), Italy; 1530-40
Incised slipware

C.35-1923